2131

September 6, 1995

Tonight at Camden Yards, the Orioles celebrate the 30th anniversary of Cal Ripken, Jr., becoming baseball’s Iron Man. Many of Ripken’s former teammates have gathered in Baltimore for the occasion. Earlier today, I spoke with Bobby Bonilla, who arrived in Charm City this morning.

“This was about Cal and the city of Baltimore,” Bonilla said from a hotel room not far from the ballpark. “They were in the spotlight, and I couldn’t have been traded to a better place. I had so much fun playing here.”

Bonilla was traded to the Orioles less than six weeks before the record-breaking game. He first suited up for the O’s on July 29, 1995, and spent 61 consecutive games batting cleanup, ahead of Ripken.

When the Mets informed Bonilla of the trade, history was not the first thing on his mind: “I had a lot on my plate during that particular time, so I was pretty much trying to get settled in and learn all my new teammates. And obviously they were all wonderful teammates. They all could really play the game. So that was an exciting part. But you know what, when you’re new to a town and you’re trying to get everybody situated, I didn’t really have a lot of time to think about it.”

In reality, Bonilla really didn’t need to think about it. The Streak walked (or jogged) alongside him in the field and the lineup. Bonilla made 24 starts at third base that season in Baltimore.

“You know what it was? Cal was so easy to play with,” the six-time All-Star said. “He was almost like a teacher out there. He taught me some things I hadn’t quite acquired. Obviously, Tommy Sandt and the gang in Pittsburgh taught me a lot about playing third base, but I really got some on-the-job training with Cal when he was playing shortstop and I was playing third.”

How exactly?

“He would position me. He taught me about angles. He was really a lot of fun to play with, and I say that with enthusiasm because I was learning. I really wanted to be a good third baseman. Obviously I could hit, but they had me playing all over the place — right field, third base, a little bit of first — but I really wanted to learn how to play the position, and Cal was amazing at teaching.”

With his feet on the ground, Bonilla could begin to soak in the atmosphere.

“You could feel the build up because everybody was excited about it. And I’m not just talking regionally. I mean, this was national. Everybody was excited. Listen, you thought that was an untouchable record, and to this day I still don’t know how he did it.”

As Bonilla recalled the 22-minute standing ovation that fans bestowed upon Ripken once game 2,131 became official, he emphasized the relationship between the fans of Baltimore and their shortstop:

“He’s so beloved in town that they could have literally stood there an hour clapping for him. People would have stayed, and, knowing Cal, we could have ended that game right there, and he would have signed autographs for everybody in that stadium.”

That would have been 46,272 autographs to be precise. On a few occasions during our conversation, Bonilla returned to the support of the fans. He had never played for a packed house like the Camden Yards crowd every single night, he said. He was looking forward to returning.

“It’s one of my favorite places. It was so much fun to go to the ballpark, and it was — believe it or not — it was the only place I’ve ever played where I walked to work. I lived across the street in the condominium complex, and I walked to the park every day… I walked home after games. It was so refreshing. And I never experienced that in all my years playing ball. It’s kind of like the stories you read when the Brooklyn Dodgers, they all lived in Brooklyn, and they would walk right to Ebbets Field… that’s the kind of nostalgia I had. And it was like, man, I’m walking to work every day to play a game I love,” Bonilla said.

The joy in his voice was apparent. He’s excited to celebrate his teammate — and the city — tonight.

“It’s still a record that people just don’t quite understand how impressive it really is.”